Raindrops
by Wandering Fantasies
Summary: Though Alphonse safely made it to the other side of the Gate two years ago, he still hasn't made many friends. He mostly tends to the cats in the alley in his spare time. -Bad summary. AlxOC later. Rating is subject to change in time.-
1. Catch Up!

_Fullmetal Alchemist_ and its characters do not being to me. The only things that belong to me are my ideas and original character(s).

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The year is 1925.

Life on the other side of the gate has been… well, it's been something else. Walking around and seeing all these familiar faces around Munich, the good AND the bad, has been pretty refreshing and nice, but it really makes me home sick. I'm sure it makes Brother feel the same way. Whether it's Hughes and Gracia or Scar and Lust, it takes me back to the old days of searching for the Philosopher's Stone. All the people we encountered in the past are gone, left behind to never be seen again after the gates were broken… Though their lookalike counterparts, who are so similar to the original, are nice to be around as well. So far we have met people who look like Maes Hughes and his wife Gracia, King Bradley, a few Homunculi, Roy Mustang, Nina… And for some odd reason, I have a sneaking suspicion that Brother has been keeping an eye out for Winry.

Though as of lately, he's been growing closer to Noah, the gypsy girl who lives with us in our apartment. She really is a charming woman once you get passed her (somewhat spooky) power to look into your heart by a simple touch… Aside from that, she's a kind-hearted and attractive woman, and a great friend at that. With Winry out of his life for good, I think she'll be good for Brother.

Coming to a world where doesn't work was… strange at first. I've gotten used to it now, but it's still a little weird for me. Alchemy has been a big part of my life for as long as I can remember, so it naturally took some time to come to terms with having to give it up for good… especially when I forgot and tried to perform it with no success. I'll never forget all the times I've experienced with alchemy. All the adventured and troubles I had gotten into with Brother were amazing and I wouldn't take a second of them back.

But that's all in the past. Right now, the primary focus is living in the present in this new world. I'm currently fifteen years old now, having spent a little over two years in Munich, and Brother is twenty years old. With my body being restored back to age ten and him staying at fifteen after using the stone, it left us with a five-year age difference instead of one. Anyway, both he and I are studying into rocketry with Brother going more in depth at a university.

As for me, I've been keeping myself busy by working part time in Gracia's flower shop alongside Noah for some extra cash.

_"Hey, Alphonse?" Gracia called from the back room._

_"Yes, ma'am?" I replied, waiting for her order._

_"Would you be a dear and re-arrange the pots and lilacs near the front of the display?" She instructed. I nodded and went to go change the shop's display._

That's really all I do there, but I don't mind.

To help boost myself up a little, I've started my own mini business; taking care of the stray cats in the alleyway next to our apartment. It's more of a payless, thankless job, but it makes me feel satisfied knowing those kitties are getting at least a little bit of love from somebody. I go out there to give them some food and water to the ones who have just wandered in, and again a few hours later for those who missed it before. Occasionally I'll even throw in some treats to make them happy! Then I'll stay to pet and groom a little... just to keep up their health.

Taking care of those strays really makes me feel so happy. It really lifts my spirits. When I'm down in the dumps, going down there to listen to them talk and purr really puts a smile on my face and warms my heart up.

But spending time with Brother makes me happy, too. Listening to him tell me stories about Alfons Heidrich, the mischief he's been in or plain talking about to him brings a great time. In fact, we're–

"Al!!" Speak of the devil; Brother screamed from the front door. "C'mon, we're gonna be late!"

"C-coming, Brother!" I shouted back, grabbing my jacket and rushing out of my room. –We're going to a theater with Noah, the other Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye.

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I didn't mean for this to be so... terribly short. It just sort of came out that way. While I was writing it in my journal it seemed to be a fair amount of work.. but when I finally typed it up it was only one and a half pages of bleh. D: I'll try to add more to it later if I can think of anything. &For sure the chapters that will be added after this are going to be longer.

Please review! And try not to be too harsh, please. Though constructive criticism will be greatly accepted.


	2. And Thats How it Began

Hiromu Arakawa owns Fullmetal Alchemist and pretty much everything associated with it. Lucky her.

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The play everyone went to see what Shakespeare's timeless classic Romeo and Juliet. The only one in the audience who wasn't too fond if it was Edward.

"… and the acting was terrible," the blond rambled. He had been going on and on about every little thing he saw wrong with it since it had ended 20 minutes earlier. "There was absolutely _no_ chemistry on stage. It was as if the cast hated each other–"

"Ed!" Mustang snapped suddenly, cutting him off. He turned back slightly to get a better look at the boy walking behind him. "Just shut up already! Don't you have anything better to do than complain? It's surely not good for your health to be so negative all the time. I mean, that's probably why you're so short…"

Too bad that didn't really help the cause. In fact, it did quite the opposite. It sparked a fight between the two and they began bickering at each other. Lame insults were endlessly thrown out, followed by even worse comebacks to make it worse. It went on for a few more minutes before Riza finally got sick of it and grabbed a hold of Roy and literally dragged him away from the older Elric brother. Alphonse decided to step in and grab Ed so he didn't tear off after him while he was defenseless.

"Shrimp!"

"Who're you calling so small that he'd be mistaken for a grain of sand?!"

"B-Brother, he didn't…!"

_Déjà vu, much?_ Al thought to himself with a small chuckle. He had the feeling that Ed felt that way too, and might have even been enjoying the little tiff. Regardless, the two were still steamed at each other, but Riza made them stay quiet by threatening to cap them. The two men knew it was no good idea to go messing around with her when she was angry, especially Ed.

Only a few more moments were left peaceful until a sudden wave of thunder hit off into the skies, taunting those who were still outside, giving them a clear warning that there was a storm approaching and that everyone need to get inside before it comes. Another boom of thunder made itself present in the distance, this time along with a large clap of lightening close by. Little droplets of rain began to slowly _pitter patter_ on the concrete of the sidewalks and streets.

Al looked up into the sky and blinked, confusion flashing in his eyes. "Wha…?" A rain drop landed in the middle of his forehead, making him flinch. Edward glanced over at him.

"Alphonse?" he questioned, laughing. "What is it? You look like you've seen a ghost." His younger brother slowly blinked in response, his mouth open slightly as he continued to stare up into the night sky. The rain was starting to come down a little harder now.

"The weather…" he whispered blankly. "… No one said anything… about rain." Something struck him inside him and his head snapped forward. "Oh… Oh no!" He gasped, placing a horrified hand over his mouth. People were passing through the streets hurriedly to get indoors, but those who saw Alphonse shot him looks. "Th-the tarps! I didn't…!" With that, Al dashed forward, taking off in a full-on sprint.

"Alphonse!!" yelled Ed, confusion in his voice. "What are you doing?!" Al didn't have much time to say anything, let alone really hear what his brother said or think of a quick response.

"S-sorry, Brother..!" he called behind him. "I'll see you at home!!"

That's where he was headed: home.

By now, the rain was pelting him in the face like water bullets while the wind was not working in his favor either. He had to squint his eyes shut in order to keep moving without being totally blinded by the wind and rain combination. Mother Nature was throwing out some of her worst cards tonight, which spelled out trouble for the poor boy. Keeping up his pace was proving to be difficult, as stumbled a bit from the stress of his legs carrying him so far through the rough conditions.

Red coat flapping wildly behind him, Alphonse continued his trek back home; to the alley way next to the apartment complex he lived in. "Dotty!!" He shouted, nearing his destination. "Val–!" A rock found its way into his path, sending him flying a few feet forward then into the ground in no more than a mere second. When he hit, he hit hard, leaving him on the ground for a few moments to gather himself again after the strain and fall.

"V… Val-Valentine..!" he called in a weak whisper, carefully making his way back to his feet and into the alley. "F-Fluffy… Edo..! Are you alright..?"

In the back of the alley, though it was somewhat hard to make out, was something moving around. The street lights were too dim for him to really see anything and he doubted whatever was back there could see very well either. He knelt down behind the wall anyway, just to keep a safe distance. Just in case.

Soft mews and cries were barely audible past the roaring winds and rain, but he definitely knew that the strays were there and trying to keep safe. What he didn't understand was who, or _what_, was already back there doing something. _Shifting, crinkling, cursing, cooing._ While gathered in thoughts, lightening struck again; its flash illuminating everything in a bright flash of white for a second. In that second, Alphonse caught a glimpse of the mystery being in the alley that was with the strays.

It was a girl. A small girl, at that. She was crouched down on her knees, tending to the cats to the best of her abilities under the harsh conditions. From what he could see, she had medium length hair and was in nothing but a short skirt, boots and a light jacket. _Kind of reckless if you ask me… _Al thought, bewildered. Yet as quickly as he was able to see her and figure out what she looked like, the flash of lightening vanished and all was darkened once again. However, the girl wasn't familiar to him. He had never seen her around town or anywhere else. _Perhaps she's new around here?_

It was now that Al's vision was finally adjusting to the darkness and weather conditions. From behind the wall, he could make out that the tarps he had lying around waiting for days like this was set up above the wooden box he also kept around for the cats. He blinked, wondering how or why she could figure out what to do with them. He decided it was alright to tread in a little further, so he stayed low and crept in slowly to make sure he didn't make any sudden motions that would scare her or the cats.

With doing so, he was able to catch a few more details of the kitty refuge: the tarps appeared to be tied rather loose and poorly, indicating that any strong gust of wind that came could take it out in an instant. The cushion he brought out for the cats to rest on the ground for the girl to sit on now, getting all soaked and dirty. _That was specifically for the cats, not people…_ Al thought, disappointed. Wanting to get a better look at the girl, he moved in a little bit closer, leaving a distance of about two or three yards between them. How she hadn't sensed his presence by now, he wasn't sure.

He switched sides quickly, making sure he was now behind her instead of staying in her possibly peripheral vision. From behind, he noticed that she was stroking and talking to one of the strays; a particular stray, to be exact. The cat was rather small in size and had striking golden-yellow fur with gold eyes and long, magnificent whiskers. This cat was Alphonse's favorite out of the recent bunch he's been taking care of because it reminded him so much of someone very close to him.

Without realizing it, one word, or name, was uttered a little too loud. "Edo…" he said with a small smile.

The flashlight the girl was using to see suddenly dropped and cut short. Her hand retracted from the cat referred to as Edo and she instantly stood up, turning to face whoever the voice belonged to. A pair of wide eyes were looking at him and were blinking frequently, almost as if she couldn't believe what she heard or saw. She looked as if she wanted to say something, but she kept silent. Al thought it was be a good time to say something, being the first to speak.

"Did you… do this?" He asked in a soft whisper.

"How…" She mumbled, tilting her head to the side. She quickly glanced at the cats before focusing her gaze back to Al. "… H-how much of that… When did… What are y-you doing he-here?" Her train of thought must not have been on track; she was fumbling with her words and stuttering. Also, it seemed like she was talking to herself rather than responding to him. Trying to help calm her down, he took a step forward and reached out to her. She took a step back, almost whimpering.

_She's afraid…_

"D-don't come near me…" She sniffed, looking down at her feet. "… Don't fucking touch me!" Her hands balled into tight fists, she shoved past Alphonse and left the alley, leaving him confused and alone.

Just moments after, a hooded Edward peered into the alley and saw Alphonse sitting on the concrete, staring down at the ground. The rain was falling in lightly now and the winds had finally let up, blowing only a soft, tickling breeze. Ed blinked and brought his right arm up to his mouth and shouted, "Hey, Al! What are you doing in there? Get up!" When his brother said nothing, he went in there himself to retrieve him. "C'mon, Al. What's wrong?"

Alphonse just blinked. He really didn't know how to explain the events that just took place. One thing came out of his mouth, though. "A girl…" he said slowly. "There was a girl here."

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The only reason I've updated so fast is because I had this second chapter written out and mostly typed up when I published the first. :D; You can now expect updates to be fairly slow... That's because of school. Being a junior stinks. :/ I've already got a few projects due soon, so... Mhm. I really hope you like it! The first chapter was a little too short and to the point, while I think this one has a little more detail and more meaning to the story? I don't know... I guess that's for you readers to decide.

Please review if you get the chance. Thank you so much to those of you who did review for the first chapter! &Also, thanks for those who added this to their favorites, too! That was greatly appreciated. It's you guys who keep me going.


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